Local fans mourn the death of singer Jenni Rivera

Fans leave photos and flowers at a makeshift shrine for singer Jenni Rivera at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood on Monday. Authorities confirmed Monday that Rivera, a U.S.-born singer whose soulful voice and openness about her personal troubles made her a Mexican American superstar, was killed Sunday in a plane crash in northern Mexico.JASON REDMOND, ASSOCIATED PRESS

For Lesly Beltrán of Garden Grove, Sunday morning was one of the worst wake-up calls. She was awoken by a text from her mother in Sinaloa, Mexico, who broke the news: singer Jenni Rivera had died in the crash of a private jet in Mexico. At first, Beltrán admits thinking the message was a prank.

"I was in shock, really. I didn't believe it," she said in Spanish, adding that she at first thought the singer may have been kidnapped, instead. "I cried, I cried a lot," the 33-year-old said. She was still holding out hope that her beloved artist was still alive. "I still don't assimilate it."

That reaction was shared by legions of fans who viewed the 43-year-old Latin music singer with the captivating smile as an icon and an example of perseverance.

Revered as "La Diva de la Banda," Rivera seemed to embody the American Dream. Despite being a teen mother and a victim of an abusive relationship, she became one of the most successful Mexican female artists of her generation.

Born in a lower- to working-class neighborhood of Long Beach (or, "Playa Larga," as she would call it) to immigrant Mexican parents, Rivera, one of six children (four brothers and a sister), was surrounded by music from an early age. Her father, Pedro, had his own recording studio when she came of age, and her brother, Lupillo, had already established himself as a Regional Mexican artist. But the younger Rivera surpassed her brother in many respects: Besides her music career, she was an entrepreneur, producer and reality TV star ("I Love Jenni").

Rivera's personal life at times seemed like a story line from a telenovela, and she lived it all in the public eye. In October, she announced that she was divorcing her husband of two years, former major league pitcher Esteban Loaiza.

"She fought and had a lot of will to push forward," said Beltrán, of Garden Grove. "What happened to her is unfair because I think she's a woman who suffered a lot in many stages of her life. ... She was beginning to be happy."

Rivera was known to mingle with the public and a few years ago visited the Anaheim Marketplace to promote her taco truck and helped give out tacos, alongside her family, to a multitude of adoring fans.

"She was always looking out for others," Rosaura López, 36, of Garden Grove said in Spanish. "That's what I loved most about her, her modesty."

Like Beltrán, López also thought she was being pranked by her sister, but soon learned of the severity of the situation after visiting Facebook and turning on the television. Her next thought was also a possible kidnapping, but after more news began streaming in, it all began to sink in.

"I was shocked, more than anything," she said. "Those type of deaths surprise you because they're sudden, I felt bad, depressed. As a mother, what I care about the most are her family, her children."

Fans say Rivera's spunkiness was evident in her music, a traditional Regional Mexican genre to which she added her style.

"She sang (her songs) with a lot of feeling. Her way of interpreting them would reach your heart," López said.

Her songs spoke of relationships, heartache, abuse and social issues, many experiences she had the misfortune of living. But for her fans, it was in many ways just another example of a strong woman.

"She was the representation of the tenacious Mexican woman; despite falling (and) falling, she would get back up," López said. "She was a great woman."

Beltrán finds solace in having seen her one last time at Gibson Ampitheatre in September. Her husband surprised her with tickets for her birthday.

"I don't think there will be another person who will be able to fill her shoes," she said.

Fans leave photos and flowers at a makeshift shrine for singer Jenni Rivera at Plaza Mexico in Lynwood on Monday. Authorities confirmed Monday that Rivera, a U.S.-born singer whose soulful voice and openness about her personal troubles made her a Mexican American superstar, was killed Sunday in a plane crash in northern Mexico. JASON REDMOND, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fans on Monday remembered Jenni Rivera, whom they said represented female strength and pushing on through adversity. ALAN DIAZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Singer Jenni Rivera, known for her can-do personality and infectious smile, laughs as she talks to a reporter in Miami last April. ALAN DIAZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Besides her music career, Jenni Rivera also had various business enterprises and a reality TV show. Here she speaks during a news conference with TV writers about the show, "I Love Jenni," which aired on the bilingual cable channel mun2. FREDERICK M. BROWN, GETTY IMAGES
Media gather outside the home of singer Jenni Rivera's mother in Lakewood on Monday. JASON REDMOND, ASSOCIATED PRESS
A customer takes a CD of singer Jenni Rivera from a display at a Mexico City music store Monday. EDUARDO VERDUGO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jenni Rivera's California driver's license driving was found on the ground in northern Mexico near the wreckage of the private jet on which she had been traveling. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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